The meeting is open to the public with a comment period scheduled for 2:15 p.m. Agenda topics include:

• Discussing a draft plan for the non-Federal lands within the Natural Area• Tribal consultation overview• BLM presentation on cadastral survey• BLM State Director presentation of the Volunteer of the Year Award

The Rio Grande Natural Area was established on Oct. 12, 2006, to conserve, restore, and protect the natural, historic, cultural, scientific, scenic, wildlife, and recreational resources of the 33-mile stretch of the Rio Grande River between the southern end of the Alamosa Wildlife Refuge and the Colorado-New Mexico state border. The Natural Area encompasses 5,900 acres of private land, and 2,900 acres of BLM lands within ¼ mile of the river’s banks.

The Rio Grande Natural Area Commission is a nine-member group created to advise the Secretary of Interior with respect to the Natural Area and to develop a non-binding management plan for the non-federal land within the Natural Area.

The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land, the most of any Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. The BLM's mission is to manage and conserve the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations under our mandate of multiple-use and sustained yield. In Fiscal Year 2013, the BLM generated $4.7 billion in receipts from public lands.